State of Emergency
by thenoblehouseofblack
Summary: The war was behind them. Hermione left to go find her parents and decided to take a much needed vacation. When she returned 5 years later, it was not to the world she remembered. Everything seemed fine, and everyone seemed happier, as if the war never happened. However, not everything was it seems, and Hermione found a new world that may have been more than she bargained for.
1. Home Is Where The Heart Is

**Disclaimer: I unfortunately own nothing.**

 **Author's Note:** Hey guys, so this is actually a story I posted some time ago on which I don't post on anymore, and I decided to try to continue it here since In your Memory will be ending soon. Hope you enjoy it, please let me know what you think.

 **Chapter 1: Home Is Where The Heart Is**

Hermione knew something was wrong. She could just feel it when she read Harry's letters. They disturbed her in a way she didn't even understand. There was something about them that she just couldn't place, and Hermione rarely missed anything. She sighed and packed up her trunk. Though she had been in Sydney for five years now, she didn't have much to bring back besides her books and some clothes. Living months on the run had made their permanent marks in her packing habitso, especially since Harry had the moleskin pouch she had enchanted to be bottomless. But she wasn't complaining. She had finally been able to get away from everything, and just live a simple life. It was something she had desperately needed after the war, a quiet life.

She walked downstairs to find her parents already at the kitchen table waiting for her. "Still set on going back, then?" her father asked, putting down his wine.

She had waited a month after the Battle of Hogwarts to come to Australia to find her parents, just to make sure everything had died down. She had stayed more for the Weasleys and Harry though, so they could grieve for their fallen friends together. And then she had taken off to Australia to reserve the memory charm she had placed on them. It had taken them a week to convince her to stay in Australia with them, at least for a little while, to enjoy the peace and quiet. She had written to Harry and Ron immediately to tell them, and while they understood, she knew they would miss her just as much as she would miss them. That had been 5 years ago. She had intended to go back much sooner, after a short break, but she just couldn't find it in herself to face the devastation she knew she would feel when she returned home and remembered it all.

She nodded. "It wouldn't be right not to. I've been here too long as it is."

Her parents exchanged a look, but didn't say anything. She already knew what they'd say. She'd gotten the lecture a million times already. So what if there was something wrong in England? They didn't live there anymore. She had done enough for the wizarding world. They could get on just fine without her. But her response was always the same. From the sounds of Harry's letters, _he_ needed her. And though they disapproved, Hermione always, _always_ put Harry first.

"When do you leave?" her mother asked instead.

"I'm going to Apparate back in the morning."

"Are you coming back whenever everything's sorted?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "I'd like to, but maybe just to visit." She didn't want to hurt their feelings by saying this with as much conviction as she felt. England had always been her home, and though it had been nice to think she could get away from reality for a little while here in Australia, the truth was that she missed her home. She missed her friends. And it wasn't as if she wouldn't see her parents again. She could Apparate over whenever she wanted. And she would always know they were safe.

They nodded but didn't say anything else on the matter as they silently ate dinner. They didn't want to admit that they knew she missed home and that she wouldn't be back as often as they would have liked. But as always, they knew that they could never sway her from her decisions. They had taught her to have conviction in everything she did. If something _was_ wrong back in England, they knew she wouldn't leave, especially if her best friends were in trouble. So instead, they savored their last few hours with their only daughter.

Hermione helped her mother clear the dishes the Muggle way, instead of even offering to clean them all magically. And then she kissed them goodnight and goodbye before walking upstairs to finish packing before sleeping a few hours. There was a knock on the window as she closed her trunk. An owl swooshed in and dropped a letter on the table. She petted the owl and led it to the cage she kept for them to rest before their flight back to England. To her pleasure, it was another letter from Harry and Ron. They usually wrote together or just Harry wrote and mentioned Ron. Ron had stopped writing her four years back. She wasn't sure why, but she figured it was because he was mad at her for staying away so long to write her by himself. She was too much of a coward to ask Harry.

 _Dear Hermione,_

 _Hope everything is okay. Can't wait to see you. Ron is excited too. He won't stop jabbering about it. I really can't even tell you how happy I am that you're finally coming back. I know you needed to be with your parents, but it's been – hard, Hermione. It's not the same without you. Ron is – well he's Ron, so you can imagine. Can't say much now. You're going to have to Apparate to the Ministry, but stop by the Burrow as soon as you arrive. I'm staying here this weekend because Mr. and Mrs. Weasley have a conference to go to, and Ron can't be alone. Remember, straight to the Burrow the second you arrive._

 _See you soon,  
Harry_

She sighed. It just didn't sound like Harry. She knew she had been gone for five years, but they wrote each other weekly. And she had noticed a change. She had known him long and well enough to know something was wrong. She just couldn't place what it was. She sighed and shook her head. She'd have to wait till tomorrow to find out. With that resolve, she got ready for bed. She knew she'd need a few hours of sleep since tomorrow seemed like it was going to be a long one.

-

She had sent her trunk ahead of her, kissed her parents, and Apparated back home. She wondered why she had to Apparate to the Ministry, instead of directly to the Burrow, but she complied. Harry had told her it was just a new rule to regulate who was coming into the country. She didn't really understand their reasoning, but she chose not to argue. It wasn't much trouble after all. A witch was waiting by the side. "Hello, dear," the witch smiled, tapping on a clipboard, a quill in her hand. "Can I please trouble you for your name? Records, of course."

"Hermione Granger."

"Okay, and your age, dear?" she smiled sweetly at her as she wrote this onto her clipboard.

Hermione smiled back timidly. "22."

"Wonderful, wonderful," the witch said, making a note. "And your business in England?"

"Um, coming home," she replied. What was this? She had never heard of this before.

"I see, and how long have you been out of the country?" The witch peered at her.

"A little over 5 years."

"Oh that's lovely, dear. I'm sure you're happy to be back home."

"Yes."

"Welcome back to England, Moss Granger," the witch smiled and handed her a slip. "Carry that with you to the front desk. They'll explain more."

"Thank you," she said and walked in the direction the woman was pointing. Something seemed off about the whole thing. She just couldn't place her finger on it. Harry had said to go to the Burrow right after she Apparated. The witch had seemed friendly enough, but she just trusted her gut and Harry more. As soon as she was out of the vision of the witch, she Apparated, reappearing in the Burrow. Harry was sitting at the table.

"Hermione!" he jumped up to hug her tightly.

She welcomingly fell into his embrace. It felt good to see him again. She had missed him too much. "Hi," she hugged him tighter, trying to tell him to never let go. He seemed to get the message because his arms didn't move for several more moments.

"You didn't take it, did you?" he asked pulling back slightly, looking at her in the eyes, though his hands stayed on her arms.

"Take what?" she asked, confused.

"You Apparated right here after you got to the Ministry? Didn't talk to anyone?" He seemed more paranoid than usual.

"No, Harry, I did not," she said. "Unless you count the witch who asked me for my whole life story."

"But you didn't take it?" he asked again.

And again she asked, "Didn't take what?"

"The potion," he said in frustration.

"No I didn't," she said, still confused. "Harry, you're not making any sense."

"It doesn't matter right this second," he grinned, engulfing her in a tight hug again. "I'm just so glad you're here."

"Harry, you're scaring me."

He laughed and let go. "Sorry, Hermione."

"It's fine," she smoothed out her robes. "Now care to explain what the hell you're talking about?"

He sighed nervously and ran a hand through his hair. He was about to answer, but was cut off.

"Is that Hermione?"

She turned to see George coming into the kitchen. He grinned and hugged her as well. "Well if it isn't Brains herself. What'd you do in Australia? Solve their git issue?"

She laughed. "Hi George. How are you?"

He sighed and looked at Harry. "You didn't tell her yet, did you?"

"I was about to," Harry said.

"Tell me _what_ ," Hermione demanded, annoyed now. She didn't like not knowing what was going on. "I swear to Merlin, one of you better tell me before I hex you both to next week."

"Well clearly, a bit of Ginny seems to have rubbed off on her," George mumbled.

Harry allowed a smile before turning to Hermione and sighing. "You might want to sit down."

She sat and noticed something then. "Where's Ron? I thought you said he was going to be here alone. Why isn't he here to welcome me home? He can't be _that_ mad at me, can he?" She didn't admit that it hurt a little bit. She noticed the look Harry and George exchanged. "What is going on?"

Harry looked at George, who nodded and left the room. "Hermione, when you left, it seemed like everything was going up. The wizarding world was rebuilding and everything was mending."

"Why do I feel a but coming on?"

George came back in with Ron. His eyes were half closed and he looked a mess. Hermione gasped in surprise. What the hell was wrong with him? He had a deranged look about his face. "Look Harry, it's Hermy," he grinned and started cackling before falling into George.

Hermione looked worriedly at Harry who just sighed and looked sadly at his best friend. "Turns out that it was too good to be true."


	2. We Are The Sheep, They Are The Shepard

**Disclaimee: I own nothing.**

 **Chapter 2: We Are The Sheep, They Are The Shepard**

Hermione just stared at Ron, the lopsided grin, the ever shifting eyes. His hair was ruffled and his clothes looked untidy. He looked unhinged. It pained her to see him like this, and while she did not know what had happened to him yet, she knew suddenly why he had not written her. Though the pain of rejection went away, she was filled with another type of distress. The Ministry had done this to him. They had done something to him, to everyone. She remembered the woman waiting for her at the Ministry. Something had not been there.

"What happened?" she asked Harry quietly.

He sighed, and shook his head. "It was really bad, Hermione. At first, everything was fine, you know? There was no reason to be suspicious or anything. The wizarding world was rebuilding. New laws were put in place for equality. Muggleborns were treated so much better. It seemed like everything was really getting better."

"So how did it become this?" She looked pointedly at Ron.

"They said it was to make sure another Voldemort never arose. They created this potion. Nobody was really sure what it did, but the Ministry assured everything it would solve the blood status problem and all the other problems. Most people didn't mind taking it, but some refused. That's when they made it mandatory," George explained.

"So this potion, it made everyone mental?" she asked, looking at Ron. She didn't understand. Wouldn't unhinged people be harder to control?

"No," Harry said. "That only happened to a few people, the ones who put up the most resistance. The Ministry ordered an issue for these people to be turned in for care. But once they were turned in, no one ever saw them again. I couldn't do that to Ron. I didn't know what was going on."

"But didn't you resist?" She found it hard to believe that _Harry_ would willingly and blindly follow anything the Ministry said after everything. "You don't seem like that witch I say at the Ministry. You still have your mind. If they wanted absolute control, you should have been the first they needed to acquire so you couldn't rally people again."

"I didn't take it," he admitted. "I was the only one who refused and got away with it."

"And what does this potion do exactly?"

He looked sadly at Ron for a long moment before turning to her. "It erases your personality. Or so we think. We're not completely positive, but from what we've been able to find out and from what an inside source has told us, it makes the drinker be whatever the Ministry tells them to be. They literally control everything, down to who you are as a person."

She gasped. "What? And people condoned this?"

"They didn't know it was happening," he said. "No one did until it was too late."

"Wait, but wasn't Kingsley made Minister after the war? I hardly believe that _he_ would condone this."

Harry and George exchanged a look. "Kingsley was killed a week into his term."

She rose a hand to cover her mouth in horror. "How?"

"That bloke Pius Thicknesse," George growled. "You know how he was pardoned because he was supposedly under the Imperius Curse? Turns out they lifted the curse after a while and he joined right up. Not because he believed in any of the Pureblood shit, but because he wanted power. Well, he became Minister and they _say_ he didn't do it, but we know it had to have been him. We don't know if he's working alone, but he is definitely at the head of this."

"Poor Kingsley," she felt tears coming down her face.

"Poor everyone," George said. "Their fucking personality is gone, completely gone, Hermione. They become putty in the fucking Ministry's hands. They're given a whole new life, a whole new fucking life. They have no say in it. They become whatever the fuck the Ministry wants them to be."

"That's horrible," Hermione said, looking again at Ron. "But once people realized what was happening, didn't they fight back? I mean, didn't more people resist?"

"And those people were taken care of, Hermione," Harry sighed. "No one could do anything!"

"You were the leader of a bloody revolution," she shook her head. "You should have rallied them, Harry. They would have followed you."

"I wasn't here at first," he explained. "They silenced me. They had me hunting the rest of the Death Eaters, the ones that got away. Ron didn't come because he thought he should be home with the family - after Fred. I had no idea what was going on. My owls were being screened. By the time I returned everyone had already been administered the potion. There was no one to rally."

"Okay, so what do we do now? I mean obviously we have to fix this, but how?" she got up and started pacing, her mind whirling.

"We don't know what to do, Hermione," Harry admitted. "George was staying with Charlie in Romania when the potion was first administered so he didn't take it, and I wasn't forced to. But everyone else has, Hermione. Even Mr. and Mrs. Weasley."

"What about the antidote?" she asked. "There has to be one."

"You know how Fred and I weren't the best at potions?" George smirked. "Turns out Harry is even worse, _and_ it's not exactly a skill that comes with old age. We've been trying our best, but so far we've come up empty handed. Not that it matters anyway. We've yet to even be able to get enough of the bloody potion to figure it out."

"So we need to get the potion," she nodded, still pacing.

Before she could think of any way to actually do this though, there was a knock on the door. Harry and George stiffened. She wasn't sure how she should be feeling, but if their reactions were so panicked, she knew she should probably be worried as well. George took Ron out of the room, and Harry got up slowly to answer it. Before he did, he turned to look at her. "Remember that witch you talked to?" Hermione nodded. "Well, act like her, okay?" He opened the door.

"Well hello there, Harry," someone said. Harry was blocking him from her view. But it didn't matter. She didn't have to see the face to know who it was. She had heard that voice for years at Hogwarts, the snide voice that threw insults at her at every turn. She stiffened now as well. He sounded – chipper. It surely couldn't be the same person she remembered. It wasn't possible to hear that voice without the sneering and condescending tone that went along with it. But sure enough, Harry moved then to reveal who she already knew was there.

"Draco," Harry said as he stepped in. He looked around outside. "What can I do for you?"

She was shocked. Did Harry just sound – friendly towards his archenemy? Did he just use Malfoy's first name? She didn't get to ponder on it for long for Harry moved and Draco smiled at her. It wasn't a sneer or a smirk, but a genuine smile. What the hell was going on? "Ah Granger, good to see you have returned. It has been quite boring without you."

"Um thanks?" she said. Harry threw her a pointed look. She coughed and smiled at Malfoy. "I mean, hello Draco. It's good to be back." This threw her off so much. Was this was what they were talking about? She was positive that there was no way even Draco Malfoy would be able to act like this if his personality hadn't been completely changed.

"She didn't take it," Harry said, closing the door.

Immediately, Draco's expression changed. There was a cold glare in his eyes as he regarded her. "What are you doing back here, Granger? You should have stayed the fuck away."

"I didn't know what was happening," she said defensively, though she was thoroughly confused. Was she wrong then? That Draco Malfoy had been able to pick up a few pointers on how to act over the five years she was gone? Merlin, how much had she missed.

"I'm sorry about that, Hermione," Harry sighed. "That's partly my fault. I tried to hint that you should stay away, but all letters in and out of England are being screened. That's also why I couldn't tell you this before."

"Yes, yes, now she's been filled in I'm assuming," Draco rolled his eyes. "And now they know you know something since you didn't go to the front desk as you were asked to."

"Harry told me to come straight here," she said in her defense. "And while we're talking about not taking the potion, why aren't you all doped up with it? Shouldn't ex-Death Eaters be on the top of the list?"

He glared at her. "Not all of us had the liberty of being Boy Wonder here or running away to another country. We had to think of something else once we realized what was going on."

"You're sure they know something is up?" Harry asked, bringing the conversation back at hand.

"Yes," Malfoy said. "Maybe if you had told me she was coming today, then we could have worked around it. She would have come straight to me. Now as it is, they've sent me to administer it to her."

"Wait, if you didn't take it, why are they sending you on these kind of missions?" Hermione asked. She could tell that Harry and Malfoy were kind of allies now, and that unnerved her. She didn't trust him. She knew he had been let off at the end of the war because Harry had vouched for him and Narcissa because of Draco's situation and Narcissa's lie that had saved him.

"It's called acting, Granger," Malfoy sneered at her.

"So what are we supposed to do?" Harry asked.

"Are you that daft, Potter?" he rolled his eyes. "Maybe since the brains of your little Wonder Trio is back, we'll finally be able to get somewhere." He threw a look at her. "Though, I'm not betting all odds on it."

"Just tell us what you have in mind," Hermione rolled her eyes, putting her hand on Harry's arm to calm him down. They had more troublesome things to worry about rather than the two of them getting into another row. Clearly, that much hadn't changed.

"You store this potion in another vial. I go back now with an empty potion bottle and claim that she took it, and she acts like every other brain dead crony out there. She goes and gets her assignment and pretends she's one of them. Meanwhile, Granger figures out the antidote. We give it to people, and we beat the fucking brains out of the Ministry," he said.

"Where is this potion?" she asked.

He took a vial out of his pocket and handed it to her. Harry grabbed her another one from one of Mrs. Weasley's cupboards and she poured the liquid in before handing the empty one back to Draco. She looked at it and shuddered. While she had seen and dealt with more lethal potions in her life, there was something about the fact that it erased one's whole personality that really affected her. It couldn't just be death; no it was a lifeless life that this potion was condemning people to. To think that the Ministry had stooped to such levels surprised even her. She hoped she could find the antidote to this, and quickly.

"Well then, Granger, I hope you can work quickly," he mirrored her thought. "Potter, keep me informed of any progress."

Harry nodded and Draco Disapparated. Hermione just looked at him. "Draco Malfoy?"

Harry sighed and fell back into the chair. "The Ministry tested the potion on the prisoners first, in Azkaban. That's how he found out about it. He and his mother went to see Lucius, and were surprised to see the sudden change in him. It made them wary. Draco didn't tell me much about it, he's very closed off, but he did say that something his father said to him made him realize something wasn't right. The repentant Death Eaters were next. It was mandatory for them, voluntary for everyone else. Draco and his mother didn't take it, but they pretended they did. I'm not sure how. His mother was found out eventually and taken away. We haven't seen her since then."

"Okay so he is himself in a sea of mindless witches and wizards," Hermione said. "How did you team up with him?"

"Well," Harry smiled slightly. "He saved me."

"Pardon?"

"See, I wasn't forced to take the potion, but they asked if I would. They said everyone had taken it and the wizarding world was better for it. I didn't know then what it did, I hadn't seen the effects. They sent Draco to give me the potion, and I, well I was going to take it. But he wouldn't let me. He poured it down the sink."

She gaped at him. Draco Malfoy had saved Harry? Now she had seen everything. "And you trust him? I mean really, Harry. You're sure it wasn't some trick?"

"I trust him, Hermione," he said firmly. "We're not friends by any means, but I trust him."

She just nodded, sighing. She wasn't sure if she trusted him herself, but Harry did, and that was as always, good enough for her. "Let's get to work then. We have a wizarding world to save - again."

"Just when we thought our work was over, huh?"

 **thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed it. Let me know what you thought? ;) new chapter up soon hopefully. Trying to fix any inconsistencies I found in these few chapters I already had up, and with med school it's taking a little longer than I would have thought. But I will definitely try to get the next chapter up soon. In the mean time thoughts? :)**


	3. A Slice of Personal Hell

**Dislaimer: I own nothing.**

 **Chapter 3: A Slice of Personal Hell**

"When I call your name, please step forward for your assignment," the wizard called Porter said. He was strangely chipper. However, Hermione had already accepted that everything would be strange. He didn't seem any different than the woman she had encountered at the Ministry when she first returned to England. Now that she knew, Hermione could see something in their eyes, an emptiness. She had seen it in the faces of every witch and wizard she had passed today. Luckily, she had not seen anyone she had known before. That, she knew she couldn't have bared.

The wizard looked at his list. "Albright, Shardae."

A witch stepped forward, the same empty look in her eyes. Hermione looked around subtly _again._ She wondered if these were the loose ends that needed tying up, the last ones to hold off being controlled in the new world. But they couldn't have resisted could they? After all, she had seen what the potion did to those who resisted. They became like Ron. She tried not to wince when she thought of him.

"Granger, Hermione."

She took a deep breath, plastered her most lifeless look on her face and move to the front, standing in front of the desk. "Hello," she said sweetly. Harry had warned her, she had to be sickly sweet. They could suspect nothing.

He looked up at her, a bright smile on his face those it did nothing to bring life back to his eyes. Hermione wondered who he was before they had erased him, and had to fight hard to keep the bile from rising in her throat. Sickly sweet, she reminded herself.

"Miss Granger," Porter said. "It is a pleasure to have you rejoin society again as we rebuild the Wizarding World."

"It is great to be here?" She tried to not make it sound like a question, but she knew she had failed. She had heard the rise in her voice at the end, and she was sure he had to. She had blown it.

Or so she thought. The man made no inclination to have noticed. Instead, he pleasantly handed her a folder. "You are to report to Level 2. You have been assigned the rewarding role of Secretary to the Head of Magical law Enforcement, Mr. Draco Malfoy."

She forced herself to refrain from rolling her eyes. Could this situation get any worse? First, the Ministry had fucked everything up after years of war and turned everyone into mindless slaves to their will, and now they were mocking her. Being secretary to her arch nemesis, though recently and secretly turned ally, Draco Malfoy. And how the hell did an ex-Death Eater become Head of the Magical Law Enforcement Department? This was a nightmare from hell, and she wondered why the hell she had ever convinced herself to leave Australia for this.

"Miss Granger?" Porter said worriedly when she did not move or respond. "Is there a problem?"

She fixed herself quickly. "Oh no, no problem at all. I'm very honored to be serving Mr. Malfoy in such a capacity. I was just wondering - um it's been a while since I've been here. Where are the um the lifts?"

He smiled again at her and pointed her to the far end of the wall. "Have a pleasant day, Miss Granger."

"You too," she smiled back as wide as she could before she turned and walked away with her assignment folder towards the elevators.

Deep breaths, she reminded herself. She had lessened her smile slightly since turning away from the Porter, but she had to keep up pretenses still. She wondered how long this hell would endure before they found a way to fix it.

She noticed they were holding the elevator for her and ran forward to catch it. As soon as the door closed, she wished she had just waited for the next one, or taken the stairs.

"Mr. Weasley," she said in surprise. The man turned and it took him a moment to recognize her. That was enough time for her though, to see the same lifelessness as Porter and every other witch or wizard in attendance at the Ministry today. This was what she had not been prepared for, no matter how many times she had told herself she could handle this. Seeing Mr. Weasley like this, a sort of surrogate father to her in the Wizarding world killed her. It was him, but it wasn't. There was no excitement in his eyes, no joy. Just emptiness.

"Hermione, my dear!" He leaned forward to shake her hand vehemently. "I heard from George you were back! It is very nice to see you."

Her heart broke to see him, to know what the Ministry had done to him. They had made him half a man, their mindless pawn. "Yes," she said pleasantly, despite the inner turmoil she found herself in. "Just arrived yesterday actually. It's very nice to see you too, Mr. Weasley. How's Mrs. Weasley?"

"Splendid," he said as the elevator jerked forward. "She was saying this morning we should have you over for tea."

"That would be lovely."

The elevator stopped, and a female voice stated, "Level 2: Department of Law Enforcement."

"I'll pass along the message," he nodded at her, smiling as she hurried out, forcing the tears back.

Mr. Weasley had always had a pleasant demeanor. That wasn't what killed Hermione. It was the fact that his very essence had seemed monotone. His eyes were as empty as the others. His spirit was not there.

She hurried along until she saw Draco's office. There was a pretty girl sitting out front, writing on parchment. She looked up and smiled as she approached. "Miss Granger? I've been expecting you."

"Or er right. Are you Mal- I mean Mr. Malfoy's secretary?" If he already had one, why had she been assigned here?

"Me? Oh no, I am just a temp. I move around the office quite a bit where I'm needed. Go right in, I'll be cleared out of your desk before you come out," she promised.

Hermione nodded and knocked on the door before opening it. Draco looked up from behind his desk. "Ah, Miss Granger, finally. I have been expecting you," he said, his tone pleasant. Even though she knew it was an act, it unnerved her. "Please have a seat, and we can go over your duties."

She closed the door and quickly sat down across from him. "Well then, let's begin, shall we?" he smiled, taking out his wand. He whispered a quick, "Muffliato!" at the door and looked at her, his eyes growing colder immediately.

"Your fucking secretary?" She demanded. "This must be a joke."

"No joke, Granger," he rolled his eyes. "Though I'm sure it's no accident. I saw Thicknesse this morning and he was especially gleeful to tell me about your assignment. This is revenge."

"It's ridiculous," she fumed. She knew they had done this on purpose. "I'm the brightest witch of our age and I'm a fucking secretary, your secretary."

"Yes well, I can't say I'm too pleased about it either, but I do see the advantages," he mused.

"And what advantages would those be?"

"Well, I can watch you, for one, make sure you don't bloody screw this whole thing up."

"I know perfectly well how to be pleasant," she said coldly.

"Pleasant perhaps, but what about when someone like Thicknesse or some other top bloke tries to demean you? What about when they mock your position subtly? I know how heated you and the Potter groupies get."

"You'll recall it was my ability to not get heated that kept Harry and Ron from pummeling you to the ground back at Hogwarts on several occasions," she rolled her eyes.

"It was also your inclination to get heated that slapped me across the face," he smirked. "It wasn't meant to be an insult, Granger. We all get heated, and it's only with practice and a very cool and aristocratic upbringing that I've gotten by this far."

She sighed, knowing he was right. She had enough sense to not make a scene most of the time, but if Thicknesse made some kind of joke to her about this or Merlin, about Ron, she knew she would react. "Okay, okay fine."

"Good, moving on," he said. "I'm sure you know what a secretary does, so try not to fuck anything up, will you?"

"Again, I'm the brightest witch of our age, I think I'll be able to handle your secretarial duties just fine, thank you," she rolled her eyes.

He just nodded once, looking at her for a moment. "How's the potion coming along?"

"I have most of the ingredients separated," she explained readily. This is what she had most been looking forward to for her next encounter with Malfoy. Harry wasn't the best at Potions, so it felt good to be able to discuss this with someone who might be able to help. Or at the very least, someone who would know what she was talking about. "The antidote's going to take some time though. So far, I've got 75 ingredients and I'm not even done. And the way some of them react together - it's difficult."

"It's brilliant," he agreed.

She sighed. "As horrible as it is, I can't disagree with that. It truly is a work of brilliance." It killed her to admit it, seeing as what the potion did. But she was Hermione Granger, after all, always thirsty for knowledge. She couldn't help but appreciate the brilliance behind it, even if she wished such a terrible thing had never been concocted.

"You better not be wasting time reveling in the potion's beauty, Granger," he said, snapping her out of her thoughts.

She glared at him. "I spent hours last night trying to get all the ingredients, Malfoy," she snapped. "Don't you dare say I'm wasting time as if I don't care about this."

"You didn't care about this for 5 years when you ran off like a coward after the war," he replied coldly.

"I am not a coward," she said with as much venom as she could muster. How dare he? She was a bleeding Gryffindor. She was Harry Potter's best friend. She had helped stop Voldemort.

"No? You ran after the war instead of staying here and facing the horror of the aftermath. You didn't even bother to come back once, not until your precious Potter wrote to you, asking you back. You and your little twit friends made a mess of everything and then left it for everyone else to clean up. And guess what, Granger? They did. For 5 years, they did."

"This is what you call a clean up?" she shot back. "They didn't _clean_ anything. They erased it. They forced the world from fearing one mad wizard to become a world of them." He opened his mouth to retaliate, but she wasn't done just yet. "You call me a coward? Do not presume to know me, Malfoy. You don't know why I went to Australia or why I stayed. You of all people have no right to call me a coward."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"You put on a fucking act! You _willingly_ follow their tyranny. You work for them! And what's worse is that you could actually do something about it, but you choose not to." She knew it wasn't just him she was saying these words to. It was Harry too. It was George. It was everyone who submitted to this. But more than that, the words were for herself. She didn't willingly follow them yet, but she was about to. Granted, she was going to work on fixing it, but she had left. She had abandoned them all.

"It's more than your precious Potter is doing," he seethed. "At least I have enough mind to go about and not hide cowering in my home."

"Don't you dare talk about Harry," she said firmly. She didn't know why she was defending him really. After all, she was thinking along the same lines. But he was _Harry_ , and she knew she would always defend him. It was just what she did. "You have no idea what he's been through."

"Right the war and all that," he said. "Grow up, Granger, we _all_ went through that."

"Right and too bad you were on the wrong side," she shot back. "Tell me Malfoy, how did you get such a prestigious position as Head of Department of Law Enforcement?"

"I play my part well," he said simply after a moment. He was glowering at her. He looked dangerous to her, but she held her ground. Just because they were allies now did not make him her friend. After a moment, he seemed to contain himself. "As much as I would like to sit here and argue with you all day, we have other things to do."

"Right, as I get to be your bloody secretary."

"Yes well, it's not a picnic for me neither, I can assure you," he said. "Either way, it'll be easier to deal with this whole thing for you. When you get tired of the fake smiling, you can come in here. You know I'll always have a sneer for you."

She sighed. That was true. Somehow, Draco Malfoy was her only ally here. She wouldn't have to pretend with him. She just nodded and stood. "I suppose I'll go be a good secretary now, shall I?"

"That's what you're here for," he shrugged. He looked her over. "Tomorrow, Granger, try a little skin. I do have a standard, you know."

She glared at him and let the office before she hexed him. She had a feeling hexing your boss was not a side effect of the potion. As she settled into her new desk (the temp secretary had been gone before she came out true to her word), she grew more and more certain that Malfoy was right. This was Thicknesse's revenge, and her personal hell.

* * *

"You know, the Weasleys try to turn Ron in every now and then," Harry said quietly. They were sitting across from each other at the dinner table, eating a small dinner of grilled chicken and vegetables that Harry had cooked for them.

"What?" she gasped. She knew everyone but George had taken the potion, but still, to turn in their own child? She didn't think it of Molly and Arthur.

"Yeah," he said. "George usually sends me an owl when they are thinking about it. I go over and get Ron to stay here for a few days. He convinces them otherwise in the meantime."

She sighed in relief. At least they wouldn't really turn Ron in then. She shuddered to think what would happen. "Why did they take it? They all fought in the war, they knew what Thicknesse was like. Why would the other Weasleys take the potion?"

"After they lost Fred, I don't think Arthur and Molly were ever the same," he sighed. "They heard the potion would make it easier, and with Arthur at the Ministry, they wanted to set an example. It wasn't just Thicknesse after all, it was many of the powerful people in the Ministry. They thought they were helping the world rebuild."

"But George didn't?"

"He was in Romania," Harry explained. "He went there after the war. Being in England was just too hard for him after Fred. So he was there for a year, expanding the business. By the time he came back, we had a good idea of what was going on, and I convinced him to pretend he had taken it."

Suddenly, she remembered something. "Harry, where is Ginny?"

"Um" he said, he looked away.

"Ginny, where is she?" she asked again. Not once since she had come back had Hermione seen her old best friend.

Harry sighed and looked at his plate sadly. "They – took her."

"No! How? Did they turn her in?"

"No," he said. "You see Ron, right? Ginny was worse. I mean, you remember her. You know how she was. She was forced to take the potion, tricked into it actually by Mr and Mrs Weasley. But she fought it, just like Ron. We don't know why that is, some people can fight it and others can't. I can think of a dozen people who should have been able to fight it too. But they all complied, and fell into this - emptiness. Ginny, well sometimes she was like that, you know, one of their drones. But most of the time, she was herself, kind of. It was driving her mental, just not in the same way as everyone else. She would have these episodes where she just went off. Most of the time she could control it, you know. I took her to Diagon Alley for lunch one day. She swore she was okay. She hadn't had an episode in a while and we thought that meant she was getting better. But – she had one of her episodes. There were Aurors patrolling, and they saw her. They took her." His voice was low, and his head was bent down. She was looking at a broken man.

"W-when?" she wasn't far from breaking herself.

"Two years ago," he said quietly. "I haven't seen or heard from her since."

"Is she – is she dead?" she asked, even though she knew there was no way Harry could really know that. But she had to as. She had to hear it.

"I don't know," he said after a moment. "Sometimes, I think she is. But then, I would know, wouldn't I? I would feel it deep down if she were?"

She didn't think that was true, but being Hermione Granger, she said, "Yes." It was a lie. She just wanted to comfort him. She just wanted this all to go away. She knew Harry could do it. But she also knew he was broken. And being Hermione Granger, she felt it was her responsibility to help him. She got up and hugged him as tight as she could. She wanted to tell him so many things, but she didn't. She let him feel them in her embrace. She wanted him to know she loved him, she was here for him, and she wasn't going to leave him again. And as Harry wrapped his arms around her, she knew he felt it.

"Harry, why don't they force you to take it?" She asked when she sat back down. She knew he had explained it before, but there was still something she didn't understand. "I know you're the Chosen One and the savior and all that, but if they wanted total control, why didn't they start with you? Surely they know if anyone could rally the troops against them, it would be you."

"Hermione, I told you yesterday, there's no one left to rally," he said sadly. "They're all gone besides you, me, George and Malfoy. And you were gone. I was here on my own. I don't think they saw me as a threat on my own. There was nothing I could do."

"So they think you'll just let it continue?"

"As long as I'm quiet and don't cause trouble, they let me go on without taking it," he said simply. "Malfoy was actually the one who told us that. Yet another thing I owe him." He shook his head.

"I wish you had owled me sooner."

"I thought you deserved a chance at a normal life," he smiled sadly.

"Harry, I'm your best friend," she smiled at him. "From the day you saved me from that troll, my life was never going to be normal."

"I'm glad you're back, Hermione," he said, taking her hand.

"Me too. You're not alone anymore, Harry. I'm here, and we're going to fix this. I don't know how, but we will."

 **New chapter :) I** **posted this on granger enchanted before but this chapter is really where the differences are coming** **out. Anyways I hope you liked it. Thoughts anyone? X**


	4. Absolute Power

**Chapter 4: Absolute Power**

The potion was definitely one of the most brilliant concoctions Hermione Granger had ever seen. It was dangerous and immoral, but being who she was, she couldn't help but marvel at it. It by far surpassed anything she had seen before, and she was afraid it was going to prove too difficult for her to figure out. She remembered from Slughorn's class that to comprise an antidote for an unknown potion, you had to break down the components first. So far she had extracted over 75 ingredients. There were some usual ingredients, ones she had dealt with in class. But there was some she had never used before, only read about. They seemed to react in strange ways together. And then there was one ingredient she just couldn't figure out. She sighed, this was going to take longer than she thought.

"Hey," Harry broke through her concentration. "Need any help?"

She had made camp in one of the spare bedrooms in Grimmauld's Place. Dozens of books and potions bottles were splattered everywhere across the floor. "No offense, Harry, but I don't know if you'd be much help," she smirked. "You weren't the best in Potions if I remember correctly."

"I seem to recall our sixth year when I outshone you, Hermione," he joked.

While once upon a time that had infuriated her, she just laughed now. "Somehow I don't think the Halfblood Prince is going to be able to help you with this." He laughed with her.

It was nice to feel this bit of normalcy. After the war, she had gone off to Australia alone after being with Harry and Ron for almost a year constantly. And then since she had been back, seeing the lunacy the world had turned to had been more than strange. But here, she was with Harry, her best friend since she was 11 years old. It was nice to know that whatever else happened, that had remained the same. It was so frustrating though. She was supposed to be the smart one, and she couldn't figure this potion out. "I just wish I could get it already."

"You will," he assured her. He looked at her, and opened his mouth to say something else. But then his eyes grew wide. "Hermione, that's it. We need the Halfblood Prince!"

"Harry, I doubt that book has any answers for us," she shook her head.

"No," he said quickly. "But the Halfblood Prince, Hermione remember who it is? Snape!"

She had thought of that. Severus Snape had been a brilliant Potion Master. He would have been able to help. Only one problem.. "He's dead, remember?"

"But there's a portrait of him at Hogwarts," Harry grinned.

She wanted to smack herself. How could she have forgotten? It wasn't like the Ministry could administer a potion to portraits of dead people. Snape would still be himself there, with the memories and knowledge of his life, his Potions knowledge. "We have to talk to him!"

"I'll make an appointment with McGonagall," Harry said quickly.

And then his face dropped as he remembered something. "How am I going to face him?"

"Snape?" Hermione questioned, confused.

"Dumbledore," he said quietly, sighing as he ran a hand through his hair. "How am I going to explain this to him?"

"Harry, it's been 5 years, I'm sure Dumbledore has caught on to what's going on even from his portrait," she said comfortingly, though she knew why he was upset. The one thing Harry had always done better than anyone else was take all the blame onto himself.

"I know, but how am I - Hermione, do you ever think this is our fault?" he asked, looking down at his hands. She heard what he really meant, his fault.

"The Ministry made the potion, Harry, not us," she reminded him gently.

He shook his head. "I know, but - maybe I rid the world of one evil wizard to pave the way for a government of them."

She thought carefully before she spoke again. "It wasn't your fault, Harry. You didn't put the government in place. You didn't force people to drink the potion. You didn't erase everyone."

"I know that wasn't me," he shrugged. "But I gave them the means to."

"How do you mean?"

"Well, everyone was scared, weren't they? After the war, I mean. Everything was in chaos. They needed someone to stand up and take charge. I could have done that, I should have. I know Kingsley was a good choice. He had fought with us, but if I had taken the post when it was offered after the war, then none of this would have happened. I could have stopped it."

"Or you could have been killed like Kingsley was," she said softly. "He was a very able wizard, Harry. You're right, he fought with us. We saw his abilities and we know it would have been no easy feat to kill him. But they did. Just like they would have gone after you. And then where would we be? Now you're still free to give us hope, and perhaps, save the world a second time."

"Would they have though?" It sounded as if he had thought about this a lot, perhaps for the last 5 years. "I was their savior, wasn't I? The whole wizarding world looked up to me. I could have been their leader too, taken a more active role in the rebuilding than just going to capture escaped Death Eaters. And if they had killed me, it would have caused more of an uproar than when they killed Kingsley. Maybe even my death could have stopped it."

She looked at him. "Harry, we can't focus on the maybe or the ifs. Maybe it would have been different if you had taken the post when they offered. But you were 17, Harry. You had just finished defeating Voldemort after living for years in the shadow of destiny. You had carried the burden on your shoulder much longer than you even remember, even before you were born. You were not ready to be Minister of Magic, and quite frankly, I agree with that decision. Remember what Dumbledore told you when Voldemort killed you. Those who are best suited to power are those who have never sought it, the ones who have leadership thrust upon them. You didn't want to be a leader, Harry, not ever. I knew that since I met you. If you had wanted the Minister post, well I don't know if you'd have been good at it. But now? Now you are still here to fight another day! You are forced to be a leader again, and I know you'll wear it just as well."

"Still, I should have done more," he insisted. "How can I face him after I let this happen?"

She couldn't argue with that. He should have done more when he learned what was happening. He should have called her back then so they could stop it together before it had taken over the entire wizarding world. However, she had meant what she said. They couldn't linger in the past and focus on the maybe and the ifs. They had to keep moving forward. "We'll fix this, Harry," she promised.

"What if it's too late?" he asked quietly.

"It's never too late." He didn't seem reassured with her statement so she tried again. "When I first learned I was a witch with all this power, my father warned me that with absolute power comes absolute chaos. I think he wanted to make sure I didn't get too absorbed with this new power. The Ministry did this to have absolute power, Harry, but we are about to hit them with a lot of absolute chaos. We will fix this, together."

"Like always," he smiled finally. "I sometimes hate myself for throwing your life into this constant battle when I saved you from that troll first year. But then I remember, I'd have never made it this far without you."

"Nor I you," she promised. "I've told you before, Harry. I'm glad you saved me even if we've gotten into some sticky binds since then. I wouldn't trade it for the world, Harry. You gave me something that day, you gave me friendship and I would do it all over again if I had a choice, exactly the same way."

He hugged her. "I'll go write to McGonagall now."

He started to leave the room but paused. "We have to go to the Weasleys for dinner tomorrow night. They invited us."

"Harry, I can't," she said in horror. Seeing Mr Weasley alone was bad enough, but if she saw them all, if she saw Mrs Weasley, she wasn't sure she could handle that.

"There's no polite way to refuse," he told her apologetically. "It won't be so bad, Hermione. They were always nice, so it's much the same. Just - don't look them in the eyes and you probably won't even notice."

She nodded, knowing there wasn't anything she could do. Until the potion was ready, they had to keep up pretenses. As much as it killed her, she would have to deal with her second family. "At least we'll get to see Ron again," she said to herself when Harry left. She missed her friend immensely. Even though what remained of him was damaged, it filled her heart with joy to just see him. She supposed one night wouldn't hurt.

She turned back to her work on the potion, wanting more than ever to finish this, and quickly. She had a best friend to save.

* * *

Work was just as miserable as she thought it was going to be. She didn't find anything wrong with being a secretary, but she knew it was not for her. Especially not as secretary to Draco Malfoy. It was unnerving seeing him smile and be courteous to his coworkers. This was not the Draco Malfoy she knew. He seemed genuinely happy, and she constantly found herself having to remind herself of the fact. The only consolation was that he always had a sneer for her, when his back to turned to the rest of the office. It was completely mental that seeing Malfoy sneer brought her joy now, but it was her only reminder of sanity here.

"Hello, Granger," he stopped her by desk when he returned from lunch. "Did you have a pleasant lunch break?"

"Oh yes," she said, her voice and expression the very essence of sweet. "I decided to stay back and read."

"Of course," he laughed. He actually laughed. She was glad she was already sitting. "The world would stop turning if Hermione Granger did not have a book."

She smiled. "Yes, well, I do enjoy books as you know."

"You should try going out sometime," he said, his voice just as jovial but his expression smirking. "You know, get a life. Try to get a bloke. I know that might be difficult for you, but I'm sure you can do it."

The nerve! He was taunting her. "I have a life, thank you very much," she said as nicely as she could, a hard smile plastered on her face. "Not all of us need to go out gallivanting to have a different arm candy every week."

"Gallivanting?" He smirked.

"Should I say flaunting about?"

His eyes hardened for a second, but the smirk did not leave his face. "Well, Granger, back to work then. If you could join me in my office when you get a chance please?"

He walked into his office, leaving the door open for her. It was not a question, despite the use of the word please. She sighed and followed him in, closing the door and casting a silencing charm.

"You're an arse," she glared at him as she sat across from him.

"And you're just as hotheaded as ever," he glared right back. "That was a test and you failed. I know you're not used to the feeling of failing, but that was it."

"You tested me by because a complete wanker in front of everyone?" she raised an eyebrow at him. "Why?"

"Yes, and like I said, you failed," he said. "As for the why, I just ran into the Minister on my way up from lunch and he said he'd be stopping by my office today. Correct me if I'm wrong, but when one visits one's office, one first speaks to one's secretary."

"And you think I can't handle it," she said. It wasn't a question because she knew that's exactly what he thought.

"I know you can't," he shook his head. "You got angry about what I said. You think that's anything compared to how he'll try to flaunt it in your face?"

"Yes well, believe it or not, I actually know I have to fool him. I don't particularly care what you think," she shrugged.

"You better not screw this up. This may be the only chance we get and we don't need you to be another brainwashed crone. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually need you to be you."

"Is that a backwards compliment, Malfoy?" She smirked.

He glared at her. "Just get back out there, and don't fuck this up."

She just rolled her eyes and went back to her post. She wouldn't let Malfoy know, but she was actually nervous about this. The Minister was coming here, the minister who had deliberately put her in a position he knew she would hate as revenge. She knew unfortunately that Malfoy was right. Thicknesse would taunt her worse than Malfoy had, and she would have to keep her calm. If only it could be that easy.

It was exactly 47 torturous minutes later that Pius Thicknesse, the Minister of Magic strolled out of the elevator and made a beeline towards her. She tried not to watch him, instead pretending to focus on her work. But from the corner of her eye, she could see he was positively gleeful as he approached her.

"Ah, Ms. Granger," he said, smiling at her. She looked up with an easy smile. "What a pleasure to see you again!"

"Minister," she said. "The pleasure is all mine."

"Yes it is," he smirked. "I see you've fit right into your new assignment."

She could tell he was getting too much joy out of this. "Yes, Minister."

"And how do you find your particular assignment?" He taunted further.

She wanted to hex him. She really did. She had never used an Unforgiveable but she was considering it right now. "It's quite exciting," she kept her voice as light as possible. "I've never been a secretary before."

"I'm sure with your brain, you were more than up to the challenge," he smirked. "And how are you finding working for Mr. Malfoy?"

"It's nice," she said. This time she wasn't completely lying. She knew it was better than being surrounding by only mindless drones anywhere else, even if was Malfoy. "He's rather amusing."

"I know you two weren't very close before," he prompted, leaning forward. Yup, he was enjoying this way too much.

"No, we weren't," she said. "I don't see why though. We get along quite well now." That one was completely a lie.

"I'm sure you'll be the best of friends," he said. His eyes wandered over her form. "After all, a girl with your body can befriend any bloke I'd imagine."

She had to actively work to not smack him for that. It took everything in her to stay calm and keep a smile on her face. "I'm sure Mr. Malfoy isn't interested in my body, Minister," she laughed. "Besides, we are just friends."

"For now," he said in a tone that suggested he wasn't quite done with her.

Luckily she was saved from responding when Malfoy's door opened and he stepped out. "Ah, Minister, there you are. I was just about to let Ms. Granger know to send you in as soon as you arrived. Shall we?" He indicated they go into his office.

Thicknesse smirked at her one more time. "Until next time, Ms. Granger," he said, nodding his head once. "I enjoyed our little chat."

He walked into Malfoy's office. Malfoy exchanged a look with her, probably trying to gauge what had happened before he walked in and closed the door behind him.

Hermione sighed in relief. She had done it, somehow. She had been able to keep from reacting and giving herself away despite the fact that he was such a vile man. She turned back to her work, knowing she was going to make that man pay for what he had done and she was going to thoroughly enjoy it.

* * *

 **Another chapter now revised! this is actually mostly different from the way I had it on granger enchanted. I noticed some inconsistencies and such. Anyways I hope you liked it, please let me know your thoughts!**

 **Also, the guest who asked what George meant when he said Ginny had rubbed off on Hermione. Firstly, compared to Hermione, Harry is dumb too. She's been classified ad the brightest witch of her age. He was not talking about her intelligence. Also, as Ginny was a member of the DA and in the thick with the Order, I think it's safe to say she knew more than one spell. Hermione was fierce but she also used her brain to not let her temper dictate her actions all the time like Ginny did when she cursed Zacharias Smith in the sixth book for continuously asking about what happened at the Ministry because it annoyed her. What I simply meant is that Hermione has never been one to threaten to "hex someone's ball's off". That I think, is something Ginny would do. I don't think Hermione CANT do it, I just think she wouldn't threaten it. She would be more reasonable, like she usually was when she was trying to stop Harry and Ron from fighting with Malfoy in the halls because they'd get in trouble. So when George said that he meant that Ginny's temper was rubbing off on Hermione. And no, Hermione had not seen Ginny in 5 years, but Hermione has also not seen Harry or Ron in 5 years. Does that mean their friendship was diminished in any way? I believe not.**


	5. Dinner at the Weasleys

**Chapter 5: Dinner at the Weasleys**

"Just keep smiling," she told herself as she and Harry Apparated to the Weasleys kitchen. Already, she found it disturbing. When had they ever been able to Apparate from outside into the house. As a security measure during the war, most houses held anti-Apparation wards to stop unwelcome visitors. But she supposed, there was no need for that fear anymore.

"It'll be fine," Harry promised her quietly. "Mrs Weasley?" He called out.

The plump woman who had been like a mother to her came into the kitchen, her face breaking out into a huge smile. "Harry, dear," she hugged him and then turned to hug her. "And Hermione! Merlin, we have missed you."

"I miss you too," Hermione said, not looking her in the eyes. Mr Weasley was bad enough, but she knew she could bare to see the emptiness in Mrs Weasley. It would make her break down. The woman had always been like a mother to her, kind and compassionate. She was sure this new post-potion woman was the same, but it wasn't her anymore. And she missed the woman she had known.

Harry sent her a pointed look at her wording.

"Arthur and the others will be down shortly. George came by this morning, and Bill and Fleur as well as Percy just minutes ago. They're all very excited to see you," Mrs Weasley beamed. "And look at you, Merlin, you were always a small thing but it's like you have no meat left on this bones. We'll have to fix you up right away. You'll be having fourths, you hear. No excuses."

"I'll try," she promised, still looking anywhere but at Mrs Weasley's face.

"That's a good girl," the matronly figure smiled. "Why don't you both run along to the den until dinner is ready? It'll give everyone a chance to catch up!"

Hermione just nodded and followed Harry out of the kitchen. "That was awful," she whispered quietly. "It's like it's her, but it's not."

"It'll get easier," he promised, though she could tell he was just trying to comfort her. She could see from his face that despite the fact that Harry had dealt with this countless times before, he was having just as hard a time as her.

She knew why. Hermione had always had a family outside of the Weasleys. She had had 2 parents who lived her, she still did. But Harry's first true experience of family that he could remember was the Weasleys. They had taken him in when even his mother's own sister had treated him badly. She knew this must even harder on him to see them like this. She squeezed his hand to comfort him, and he smiled weakly at her.

"Ah, Harry my boy and Hermione," Mr Weasley came into the room. He shook Harry's hand and hugged her. Once again, Hermione didn't look him in the eyes. "Molly just told us you were here. Good to see you."

"Hello, Mr Weasley," she smiled slightly. "How are you?"

"Quite well, quite well," he said and sat down.

"Harry, Hermione," George came in and plopped down on the couch. He nodded to them.

Hermione breathed in relief. George hadn't taken the potion, she remembered. There would be at least one person in her extended family that was normal. "Hello, George," she said, not hesitating to meet his eyes. "Where's Ron?"

"Sleeping, poor chap," he said.

"Awful business about Ron," Mr Weasley shook his head. "Can't have him out and about when company is over."

"Harry and Hermione are hardly company, Dad," George reminded him. "They're family."

"Ah yes of course, but I ran into Lucius today at Diagon Alley," Mr Weasley said jovially. "Didn't have any plans today so I invited him and Draco."

"I thought he was in prison," Hermione looked at Harry to explain. Isn't that what he said? Draco suspected about the potion because of something Lucius had said while they were visiting him in Azkaban.

It was Mr Weasley who answered. "Of course not. Lucius is a respectable man, the whole Malfoy family is."

She had never thought she would hear Mr Weasley call the Malfoys a respectable family let alone that he had invited them to dinner, or that they had accepted. "Oh," was all she could manage to say.

"Ah, Hermione, Harry," Bill's voice broke through her thoughts as he and Percy entered the room. Hermione looked at him and then had to do a double take. Gone was the earring and the long hair. Instead, his hair was cut short and professional. He looked so different.

"Bill," she said cautiously. "How are you?"

"Well enough," he grinned. "Fleur is here as well though she's in the kitchen helping Mum."

It was like Hermione had entered a parallel universe. She had known it would be strange but she had not been prepared for this level of difference in her second family.

Harry broke the silence thankfully as it had begun to drag on. "How's work, Bill? Percy?"

"Excellent," Percy said. "We're starting a new bill that allows younger people to go through initiation to enter our society. It is 8 right, but we're trying to make it 5. We're fairly confident it'll pass. The Minister himself suggested it."

"Initiation?" Hermione asked. She had a feeling she knew what it was before he spoke again.

"Ah, yes, I had forgotten you weren't part of our new world for the last several years," Percy said kindly. "It's what you went through when you first arrived back, Hermione. Just a simple potion. Of course, the job assignments won't be given until they've finished Hogwarts still. Can't know where they'll be needed until it's actually time to start giving back to society, can we? Demand of labour changes so quickly."

The potion was going to be given to 5 year olds now? Hermione had to breathe deeply to calm herself. It was far more barbaric than she had thought.

"That means Victoire will be initiated this coming Spring," Bill said.

"Yes, I am hopeful," Percy grinned. "It should cause the defect rate in the potion's ability to go down quite considerable."

Of course it would! What 5 year old would be able to fight against that potion? So far, the strongest adults she had ever known had fallen susceptible to its curse.

"How's work with you, Bill?" Harry said quickly when he saw Hermione's tense face.

"It's going well," Bill said. "Not quite as helpful as Perc, of course, but we're doing well. We were able to break a particularly powerful curse on this bracelet that the Goyles owned. It cursed anyone that wasn't Pureblood to combust. What with the son marrying that Muggleborn Lisa Turpin in a few months, they wanted to handle it quickly."

Gregory Goyle was marrying a Muggleborn? She had to fight to keep her mouth from dropping. How did that even happen? She asked Harry as much quietly.

"The Ministry," he told her. "If you can't find anyone on your own, the Ministry assigns you someone."

"That's medieval," she shook her head.

"Without personalities to find someone, there isn't much hope," he said quietly. "And without personal preferences written into their coding, there isn't protest."

And so they continued to play with people's lives. The Ministry truly controlled everything. It was disgusting.

"Ah, Lucius, Draco," Mr Weasley's voice broke her from her thoughts. She looked up to watch Lucius Malfoy enter the room with his son. She couldn't help but stare. The old Lucius Malfoy that she had known had been intimidating, his very presence prominent and aristocratic. He had walked with an air of fine breeding and a lifetime of being on top of the food chain. But this one, well he was lighter to say the least. He was still dressed in all black and looked the same, but he seemed - friendly. Perhaps it was the genuine smile on his face.

"Arthur, good of you to invite us," he strode into the room. "It is wonderful to see you all again."

"Nice to see you as well," Bill grinned. "Please have a seat. We're just catching up with our Hermione. She's been out of the country for some years now."

"I'll get you a firewhiskey," Mr Weasley stood and went off for the drink.

Lucius and Draco came and sat down on one of the couches. Hermione had to stop herself from laughing out loud at the sight of them sitting on one of the Weasleys couch. They looked out of place to her, but it seemed they were as comfortable there as the others seemed to be with them being there. She took it that this was a frequent affair. Who would have thought?

"Yes, Draco told me Miss Granger had returned to our side of the world," Lucius smiled at her. She flinched slightly, remembering that the last time she had seen him was when she was bleeding on his floor. But there seemed to be no semblance of that man here.

"Yes, I felt it was time I returned to my friends," she said, trying to keep her voice even.

"And how do you find it after being abroad for 5 years?" Draco asked jovially. She had to admit he was a very good actor.

"It's lovely," she lied. "I was afraid of what I'd find after the war, but I'm happy to see the world has been rebuilding nicely."

"And you are Draco's secretary now, I believe?" Lucius asked. "Are you enjoying it?"

"I've only been at it one day," she said. "But it's quite enjoyable. The work is a little easier than I am used to, of course, but I do enjoy being," she searched for the word. Patronized? "Organized."

"She's really rather good at being ... organized," Draco agreed, a small smirk on his face as if he knew what she had really meant to say. "You wouldn't find anyone more organized than our Hermione here."

George started laughing, and Harry smiled at bit. Hermione plastered a smile on her face though she wanted to slug him.

Lucius, however, saw nothing wrong with this statement, and nodded along. "I hope you run off on Draco," he said, which made Draco stop smirking. Like her, the words were clearly unsettling to him. Not so long ago, Lucius would have done anything in his power to make sure none of her kind's influence could even touch his Pureblood son. "He's a bit of a slob. I don't know where he gets it. His mother and I are quite meticulous."

"Keeping work files scattered across my desk hardly makes me a slob, Father," Draco rolled his eyes.

They all laughed this time. Mr Weasley returned with the glass of firewhiskey for Mr Malfoy. "I'm afraid you'll have to enjoy this with dinner, Lucius," Mr Weasley said. "Molly asked me to call you all in for dinner."

"Finally, I'm starved," George stood up and they all followed out to the dining room. It had been enlarged to include their company.

Hermione was seated between Harry and Draco. "Can we leave after dinner?" she whispered to Harry.

He nodded. "I'd like to check in on Ron first though," he said quietly so only she could hear. She agreed wholeheartedly.

"So you're Draco's secretary, Hermione?" Bill continued the conversation as they started eating. "I'm surprised they gave you that position. I would have thought a brain like yours would be teaching at Hogwarts."

"You know it goes by demand, Bill," Percy corrected him.

"And the Minister himself suggested her for the position," Mr Weasley contributed.

As revenge for the outcome of the war, she thought to herself. But it seemed that this statement was enough for the rest of them. It seemed the potion also gave them the utmost respect for their esteemed Minister, no matter what he had done.

"What do you do?" she asked Fleur who was cutting up chicken for their daughter Victoire. She was an exact copy of the blonde witch. Hermione was glad the little girl had been been put through this travesty yet and hoped they could fix this before she ever had to.

"I take care of thees little girl," Fleur beamed at her daughter. "Luckily she ees not a handful."

"Meaning she's not another Fred and George," Bill grinned. Everyone laughed but she saw George tense in his seat, though he had a smile on his face. Poor George, she thought. He was still grieving for his twin, and the people that should have been helping him through it had been magically made to forget about it, or at least get over it already.

"What did that knife ever do to you, Granger?" Draco asked from her other side quietly so no one else could hear.

She hadn't realized she had been gripping her utensils so tightly. "Accident," she mumbled.

"Careful," he warned, his eyes looking around to make sure no one had noticed. "I know it's hard, but it's necessary."

She nodded, thinking she knew what he meant. They needed to play their parts well now so they could continue to work on their plan to save everyone. Even if it was with her extended family, she needed to be careful. She took a deep breath to calm herself. Malfoy was right. This was necessary. She needed to see what they were fighting against. She needed to witness just how far the Ministry had gone. So that she could be more determined to fix it.

"By the way, Harry," Percy said amidst the chatter. "Have you decided if you'll finally be going through the initiation this year?"

The group had broken off into private conversations but everyone stopped and listened for this. "I'm afraid not," Harry said, smiling. "I've found I don't need it just yet."

She must have looked confused because Draco leaned in slightly. "Every year, the Ministry asks him if he wants to take the potion," he explained to her quietly.

"It's not about what you need," Percy argued. "It's about what society needs. And having you agree to the initiation would go a long way with convincing international Ministries of its positive effects. We could have a united wizarding world globally, not just here in the UK."

"I think you're overestimating my influence again, Perc," Harry laughed though it did not meet his eyes.

"Percy is right, Harry," Mr Weasley added. "After Dumbledore was killed, the entire world grew afraid. He Who Must Not Be Named had focused on the UK, only slightly extending his reach to parts of the continent, but they thought that once Albus Dumbledore was killed, he would win this island and go after them. You saved them all. If you took the potion, I'm sure the world would follow with our example of peace." They all looked at him hopefully.

Harry was quiet for a long time. She could tell this was a speech he had heard several times, and she could see it was weighing on him. He was probably thinking of how to say no without ruining everything. He was free to choose by not making a commotion, but if he did anything rash, they might force it on him. She reached down under the table and took his hand in hers. He seemed startled, pulled out of his thoughts and looked at her. She gave him a small smile, willing her strength into him.

"I'll have to think on it," he said diplomatically. "But I think it'll be a no again this year."

"Well, we can't force you to do anything you don't want to do," Mr Weasley said pleasantly, as if he hadn't just tried to coax him into it. "Molly, this chicken is divine."

And just like that, conversation picked right up again, the intensity of the moment gone. They resumed eating, but Hermione held onto Harry's hand, realizing they would need each other's strength to make it through.

* * *

 **Another chapter now revised :) this is actually mostly different from the way I had it on granger enchanted. I noticed some inconsistencies and such. And yes I know everyone is SO out of character like Lucius Malfoy but that's the point ;) Anyways I hope you liked it, please let me know your thoughts :)**

 **Also, the guest who asked what George meant when he said Ginny had rubbed off on Hermione. Firstly, compared to Hermione, Harry is dumb too. She's been classified ad the brightest witch of her age. He was not talking about her intelligence. Also, as Ginny was a member of the DA and in the thick with the Order, I think it's safe to say she knew more than one spell. Hermione was fierce but she also used her brain to not let her temper dictate her actions all the time like Ginny did when she cursed Zacharias Smith in the sixth book for continuously asking about what happened at the Ministry because it annoyed her. What I simply meant is that Hermione has never been one to threaten to "hex someone's ball's off". That I think, is something Ginny would do. I don't think Hermione CANT do it, I just think she wouldn't threaten it. She would be more reasonable, like she usually was when she was trying to stop Harry and Ron from fighting with Malfoy in the halls because they'd get in trouble. So when George said that he meant that Ginny's temper was rubbing off on Hermione. And no, Hermione had not seen Ginny in 5 years, but Hermione has also not seen Harry or Ron in 5 years. Does that mean their friendship was diminished in any way? I believe not. You may not like Ginny, but Hermione does in my story and in the book.**


End file.
